Bruised
by SeriouslySnape17
Summary: When Bella meets Sam Uley, she is thrown into the world of the supernatural. When she meets Paul Lahote, she's thrown into a world of confusion and love? A tale of two broken hearts, intertwined by powerful magic.


Chapter One: Thanks To You

Bella stood in the doorway and watched as her father stumbled around the kitchen. It was 6 A.M and Charlie was trying to put something together for a quick breakfast. As far as Bella knew, her father wasn't aware of her presence yet, and it was a rare moment when Bella stopped to appreciate all of the things that he did for her. She watched as her father made the only food related thing that he knew how to make: coffee. She knew he liked it black, and stopped herself from making a sound of disgust. For the last few months, Bella had been a difficult daughter, but Charlie had tired his hardest to take care of her. He tried to get her to talk about _them _but he seemed to understand when she was silent on the matter. Bella knew that her father knew all about having a broken heart. His divorce with her mother, Renee, almost seemed to make him an expert on the subject. Charlie never dated after the divorce, and the subject of Renee always put a look of sadness on his face. When Bella asked about their separation, Charlie always claimed that he was most sad about losing the chance to be a father to his daughter. Bella knew that her decision to come to Forks, even if it led her to Edward Cullen and his family, was something that her father really cherished.

Charlie had been a constant source of encouragement throughout Bella's nightmare. Bella suffered from constant nightmares. She never slept for more than three hours a night and was almost always exhausted, which took a toll on her social interactions. She had stopped eating, because she no longer had an appetite. The only thing that Bella continued to do was go to school and work, and only because those things were compulsory. Charlie pleaded with Bella to at least take care of the necessities, and was often the only reason that she tried to eat. He made sure that she made it to school on time, finished her homework, and even reminded her to shower regularly. He made sure that he was available if she needed him, even though she never seemed to need him. After the nightmares each night, he stayed awake with her out of fear that she might somehow harm herself. Though the situation must have been heartbreaking for him, Bella had never heard Charlie complain. The only time throughout this dreadful experience that Bella saw Charlie lose his calm was yesterday night. Charlie threatened to send her back to Jacksonville if she didn't start acting like person instead of a zombie. According to Charlie, just because he understood what Bella was going through, didn't mean that he wanted to see his_ only_ daughter waste her life away over some teenage boy.

Bella's reaction to this outburst from her father was something that she was not proud of. She screamed, yelled, and even threatened to move out of his house if he tried to force her to move back into Renee's. The emotions and pain that Bella had been holding inside started pouring out, and she spent the rest of the night sobbing. Bella began to realize that she was angry about the wreckage that Cullen family had left behind. She still couldn't understand why the people who had once claimed to love her like she was part of their family could just disappear without a goodbye. Bella felt angry that she had been abandoned by the family that she had once loved and longed to be a part of. She felt angry that she was abandoned by the boy who had once promised they would be together forever. She was absolutely furious that she had wasted so much time being sad about Edward, when she wasn't completely convinced she still cared for him. How could someone that was supposed to love just leave you in the middle of a forest? More importantly, how could someone who was supposed to love you just leave? She realized that she couldn't see Edward as her future anymore.

These revelations forced something inside of Bella to begin to change. She began realizing that Edward had never really wanted to be with her, and he had manipulated her into changing parts of her life that he didn't find pleasing. As it was, Bella was not very pleasing to Edward at all. He didn't like her attitude, apparent sex drive, or humor at all. He was constantly making decision for her, based on what he believed was safe for her. Bella realized that the girl she considered her best friend, Alice, was just the same as her brother. She didn't like the way Bella dressed, so she changed it. Whenever she considered the Cullens, she could point out all of the ways they had changed her and it made her sick to her stomach. Bella realized that she used to be more than someone's girlfriend, best friend, and pseudo daughter. Before she had met Edward Cullen, Bella had been a girl who had been known for her mature attitude, determination, and absolute refusal to settle down. Bella felt the need to reclaim her life, and move on from the mess that the Cullens had made.

The clearing of a throat brought Bella back to the present. Shaking the memory of the fight from her head, she put on the best smile that she could, and rushed over to the refrigerator and started taking out the ingredients from an omelet. The bareness of the shelves reminded her of the terrible way she had been affecting her father, and she wanted to cry. "Hey, Dad," she said in the cheeriest voice that she could, and fought back a pretend yawn. She turned on the electric stove and tried to mentally prepare herself to make the speech she had been thinking about all night. "I just want to apologize for my behavior last night. I know that my reaction was uncalled for and it really made me consider my actions over the last few months. I wanted to apologize for the emotional and physical pain that I've put you through, and I wanted to let you know that I'm going to try to start focusing on healing. Last night, when you mentioned that I may have to move back in with Renee, I was really upset and it made me realize that I haven't really taken the time to be upset about what Edward did to me. I have been stuck on the idea that one day he might come back, when in reality I should be asking myself if I actually wanted him to."

After a minute of stunned silence, Charlie managed to choke out a response. "Thank you for sharing that with me, Bella. Thank you for breakfast, too. You know I'm here if you ever need me. " This response was just what Bella had expected, and seeing an immediate change in his behavior made her feel like she had made the right decision in sharing her feelings with him. Charlie had never been the emotional type, and that was something that Bella had inherited from him. Her little speech had taken a lot out of both of them, and Bella was glad for the chance to be excused from the kitchen and start getting ready for school. Bella rushed up the stairs and pushed open the door to her bedroom. Her recent emotional state had certainly taken a toll on her outward appearance, and she usually just opted for some sweatpants and a hoodie to wear to school. However, with a renewed outlook on her world, Bella decided it would be a great day to actually put some effort into her appearance. She rushed through a shower, and dried her hair. Thankfully, she had pretty nice hair, and that was all it really took to make it look presentable. Next, Bella opened the double doors on her closet, and for a moment she was shocked to see her diminished wardrobe. All the things that Edward had liked, Alice had bought for her, or reminded her of the Cullens were immediately thrown away after the break up. This left a few pairs of jeans, some semi-cute blouses, and a few ratty t-shirts. Although she dreaded it, Bella realized that she would have to go shopping soon. Her breakdown had made her a model employee and she had plenty of money saved since she never went out. However, that shopping trip would have to wait. For now, she pulled on some jeans and a worn out t-shirt with the words, "Save Rock and Roll" on it, and some old converse. She threw on a jacket, just for good measure, and deemed her outfit finished. She pulled her backpack off the floor and carefully ran down the stairs.

Hopping into her old, red truck, she almost wished that she could listen to music again. She stared at the empty hole in her dashboard, and the unshed tears in her eyes threatened to spill whenever she thought of the night that she ripped out the stereo with her bare hands. She remembered all the blood afterwards, and how she felt accomplished. It was almost like she had taken some part of her own life back. Since then, she hadn't listened to a single note of music, and flinched whenever she heard a love song or piano music. This reminder of her recent behavior caused her face to flush with emotion. The revival of her frustrations from the night before gave her the strength to pull out of the driveway and push away the feeling that she might break down. These emotions and thoughts did not stop upon her arrival at Forks High School. She pulled into the school parking lot, turned off her truck, and pushed her door open. She remembered how Edward would always be there to open it or her in the morning, and almost gagged. She jumped from the truck and angrily pulled her bag out. She slammed the door and turned to join the sea of students that were flooding into the building. However, she was met with the stunned faces of almost everyone in the student body. Bella was once again reminded of just how badly she had been hiding her emotional turmoil. The reaction from her peers only fueled her feelings of discontent and beginning hatred for Edward Cullen, and she stomped her way through the parking lot and into her first period class.

She ignored the glances and faces of concern from her classmates, and realized that she was tired of being treated like she was fragile. Bella realized that she had let Edward completely change every aspect about her personality, and she almost wanted to scream. The anger must have shown on her face, because Mike Newton looked somewhat apprehensive when he approached her. "Bella, I was just wondering if you could take over my shift at the store today. I'm going out with Jessica and some of our friends, and I thought that since you never seem to have plans, you wouldn't mind covering for a friend." He said in an unsteady voice. Bella had been picking up Mike's shift at his parent's sporting goods store quite often in the past couple of months, due to her complete lack of social interaction. She hadn't missed Mike's complete dismissal of her ability to have plans or friends, but she knew that the idea wasn't completely unfounded. Bella hadn't hung out with anyone except for her dad for the last few months. Bella smiled, which caused a look of surprise to cross Mike's face. "No, thank you. I've covered quite a few of your shifts over the past couple of months, and I have plans today. I'm going shopping with some _friends_ in Port Angeles." Bella said calmly. She really was planning on going to Port Angeles after school, but not with anyone else. She didn't understand why she felt like she had to lie, especially to Mike Newton of all people, but the look on his face made her feel a sense of satisfaction. Mike seemed completely baffled at the idea, and as he pushed by Bella, she thought she heard him mumble something about her being a liar.

All throughout first period, Bella heard whispers about her comment to Mike. Apparently, the idea that Bella Swan could have friends was just ridiculous. She tried to tune out the comments, but Jessica Stanley wasn't exactly the quietest person on the planet. Bella knew that Jessica was probably just upset that Mike couldn't go out with her tonight, but the comments still hurt. When the bell rang and signaled the end of the period, Bella stood to leave the classroom. Jessica was standing in the doorway waiting for Bella. "So, Bella, Mike told me you were going to Port Angeles today with some friends. I find that really interesting, since you haven't talked to anyone for the last three months." Jessica said, blocking the exit. Bella smiled at her and politely said, "Excuse me." Instead of letting Bella pass, Jessica continued talking. "You know, Mike and I were supposed to be going out with Lauren and Tyler tonight. I know that you lied to him, and I just want you to know that I think that is really horrible considering Mike has been a great friend to you these last couple of months." Bella laughed at the mention of Mike's great friendship and replied, "Sure, a great friend who expects me to pick up his slack so he can spend all of his free time with you. How terribly inconvenient in must be for you both that I actually have plans for once," and pushed by Jessica and out into the crowded hallway. When she turned to look behind her, Jessica was scowling at her. Bella decided that she liked standing up for herself, even if it meant having to survive Jessica Stanley's brainless attitude for the next couple of months. The exit sign at the end of the hallway seemed to beckon her, and Bella realized that she would rather be anywhere in the world than here. She reached the door in a matter of minutes and with a quick look over her shoulder, she said goodbye to her pointless routine, and hello to the new Bella Swan.

Chapter 2: Wake Me Up

Bella arrived at Second Beach around 12:00 P.M, just when her fifth period class would have been ending. She had stopped by her father's house first, to change into something warmer, since it was always cold in Washington due to the constant rain. She knew that she wouldn't be missed at school, because it was so late in the year and none of the teachers really noticed her anymore. She wasn't worried that Charlie would get a phone call from a frantic Mrs. Cope, explaining how she wasn't present in her second period class and that she was afraid that Bella had ditched school. She wasn't worried how this would affect her father. In fact, Bella wasn't worried about anything. The calming rush of the waves and the salty breeze had almost lulled Bella to sleep when she felt someone sit down next to her. "Bella, are you okay? Your father has a nervous wreck. He heard that you ditched school from a lady in the front office. He looked all over Forks for you, but you weren't there. Billy Black, the tribal chief here, asked me to check around the reservation," the man said, as he was making himself comfortable next to her. She vaguely remembered him from the night she got lost in the forest, and she recalled that his name was Sam. He didn't seem concerned about the behavior that he had witnessed or heard about. Bella found comfort in that, and opened her mouth to tell him she didn't care, and ended up telling him the whole story from the previous night and this morning. As she finished, she noticed that Sam was smiling.

"That night that I found you in the woods, I had to report back to Billy about your condition. I was disturbed, Bella. You just kept muttering "he's gone" to yourself, and you didn't even notice when other people were in the room with you. Since then, I've kept an eye on you. I've visited your father and we've talked about your improvements or lack thereof. I've kept people here on the reservation, like Billy and Jacob, updated on your condition. To say that Billy was surprised about this change would be an understatement." Sam finished with a laugh. Bella moved to stand up, but was stopped when Sam said, "I called Billy when I saw you on the beach and told him to tell Charlie that I found you. Charlie was just glad that you were finally doing something, and told Billy to let me know that you were allowed to stay here as long as you wanted." Bella smiled and threw herself back onto the ground. Sam sat beside her for the rest of the evening. They didn't talk. They didn't move. They just stared at the waves. When they decided it was time to go, Bella smiled and looked at Sam and said, "So, Sam, how do you feel about shopping?"

Since that day, Sam and Bella had become best friends. She met Sam's fiancée, Emily Young, and they were fast friends. They spent almost all of their time together on First Beach, when Bella wasn't at school and Sam wasn't running off to some secret meeting. Bella thought that it was strange that these meetings were always following a call from Billy Black. That wasn't the only strange thing that Bella noticed about Sam. Whenever they were sitting next to each other on the beach, she realized that he was very warm. He seemed to always been running a fever, and when she asked about his health, he shrugged and they never brought it up again. Another thing that seemed strange to Bella was Sam's appetite. Some days when Bella came to Second Beach after school, she would bring snacks. Sam seemed to inhale anything Bella brought, and all of her uneaten portion. Sam's stomach seemed like a bottomless pit, in Bella's opinion. After about two months of Bella's emotional improvement and friendship with Sam, Bella had had enough with his sneaky behavior. One night, after he tried to abandon her on First Beach yet again, Bella followed him into the woods. Due to her clumsiness, she had trouble keeping up, and immediately fell behind.

Bella didn't realize that Sam knew that she was following him, and what he led her to was almost too much for her small heart to handle. Bella stepped out of the dense forest into a small clearing and was immediately taken by surprise. She was standing in the middle of semi-circle of giant wolves. They were all staring at her, but she refused to make eye contact with them. Bella remembered she had read something about dominant wolves, and she wanted to seem as submissive as possible. She felt her heart began to race as she started plotting ways to get away, when she was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by Sam's voice. She noticed that he was standing near the wolves too, and was worried for his safety. "Sam, you need to get out of here! These wolves are dangerous! Just move as slowly as possible and don't make eye contact." Bella said this as quietly as she could and started to take small steps backwards. "Bella! Wait!" Sam called out to her. "Bella, I brought you here for a reason. I know that you've started to notice some strange things about me. I know that you've noticed that I'm a lot warmer than most people, and I can eat twice as much as a normal person. I know that every time I had to leave you on First Beach that you were afraid that I wasn't going to come back. I want you to know that your health is really important to me, because we're best friends, and I didn't want to keep secrets from you anymore. You're like my little sister, and I don't want to hurt you like the lee-Cullens did. Bella, look at me." At the end of this speech, Sam began shaking and Bella screamed as he transformed into a giant wolf. Her vision went black and she faded into unconsciousness.


End file.
